Post by The Pantheon on Sept 17, 2017 21:30:58 GMT -5
Khaila had never been known to be anything other than brave, strong, and ready to do whatever was necessary to defend herself and her people. The Sirens had a long history of mistakes and behaviors that went back as early as anyone could remember. She knew that there would be a long way to go before the Sirens were not seen as a race of mean, spiteful, judgmental people who only cared about themselves. She, herself, had trouble not taking shots at royalty when they would open themselves up to criticism. It was the acknowledgment of this fault and choice to try to be better that made the other races look at Khaila as the mouthpiece for Sirens everywhere.
But today was different. Today was going to set the Siren race back decades of progress, and Khaila was helpless to stop it.
On any other day, she loved to walk the beach barefoot, letting the sand squish between her toes with each step. She wanted nothing more than to enjoy that feeling, but she couldn’t anymore. All around her formerly serene beach were the spoils of war. Dozens of Siren had died this day, and Khaila could see the ship that had carried the sea-farers here was pulling away from the beach, leaving the bodies of their dead here on the shore.
“Wait…come back! Let’s …discuss…” But there was nothing to discuss. Wrong had been done on both sides, but the Humans would be the ones to tell the tale, they were the victors, and they would surely paint the Siren in such a bad light that no one would ever see them as anything but hostile. She’d spoken up on numerous accounts in defense of Sirens, but had also brokered peaceful conversations and treaties between groups of other races, sometimes not even involving Siren, simply because she wanted to see that not all Siren could be painted with one brush in a single stroke. They were as plentiful and diverse in mind and heart as anyone, if not more so.
She took a few steps, careful not to set her foot in the blood-stained sand of both her friends and their assailants. Her mind ran the gamut of emotion from fury to desperation, from confusion to depression, from hopeful to melancholy. The battle fought here would be known for years and years to come.
“Sister? Khaila, is that you? By Poseidon’s grace, you’re alive!” A voice called out from behind her, stepping out from one of the small dilapidated bamboo huts nearby. Khaila looked up, and her eyes widened at the site. Standing a few yards away was Agaithe, Era Lanai Losa, her fellow Siren and trusted friend. Khaila ran to her, no longer carrying about soiling her feet in blood, so overcome with emotion was she.
“Agaithe! Oh, Agaithe, you’re alive, of all those I care for, if you’d been hurt, I’d have…” As Khaila approached the last steps of her sprint to Agathe, Agaithe stepped fully into the fading sunlight, holding her torso. Her hands and arms were bloodied, and she was unsteady in her walk.
“I wanted to see you again, I needed to see you again, Khaila. I believe that is why the gods have not taken me, so that someone could tell you. And I…” Agaithe stumbled and fell, whimpering in pain from her wound. Khaila dove to catch her, but only managed to soften the fall, and both Siren lay in a small heap near the bamboo hut. Khaila gently set her friend against a wall.
“What happened, Agaithe? Tell me, why caused this battle?” Khaila took her friend’s hand into her own and saw the exposed wound. A large chunk of her skin had been split just above her hip, and she was bleeding profusely. Khaila began to breathe more heavily.
“It was a mistake! When you left, those sea-farers, they came here, and there was an altercation. They thought that maybe you had lured them here. They thought that maybe there was a hydra waiting here, or that maybe something was…” Agaithe began to sob as she spoke, her sentences losing structure.
“Shh, shh. Agaithe, I will find out the reason for this bloodshed. I will avenge our sisters and rectify these mistakes, and restore peace for our people.”
“There is no peace, there cannot be. Why do they find reasons to hunt us down? Why can’t they see that we are not the same as our ancestors, Poseidon has cleansed and forgiven us, why cannot the humans do the same?”
“They will, you have seen that they will, but change does not happen instantly. I have worked at this for dozens of years, since Poseidon placed me on Crete, and I have seen that it can happen, sister. Trust, and believe that Siren will be seen differently one day, I know it! And we will look back on this day and know that our sisters and brothers lost lives were the catalyst needed to empower us going forward, to rectify this hatred that we’ve fought against all these years. Sister, it will happen, just as it happened with the Kobaloi, we can have hope that we…Agaithe?” Agaithe was silent, and Khaila pulled her closer, cradling her.
“Agaithe, no! Please not you, please do not take her, Poseidon, I need her, I need my sister!” Khaila stared into her friend’s eyes, and found no life in them.
“AGAITHE! No! No, please do not leave me here, Agaithe, you are who I look to for support, you are the one I think about when I speak to our people, you are the one who I seek the approval of, maybe even before Poseidon himself…you can’t…” Her tears began to roll gently down her cheeks, trickling down to her chin and dripping onto Agaithe’s face. She whimpered again, as her friend’s body fell limp, and she knew that Agaithe was on her way to the River Styx.
Looking out at the Sea of Crete, Khaila could see the sun setting, and the sea vessel containing the remaining humans from the battle disappearing into the horizon. Her emotions flared again, and she was consumed by them. With her friend’s lifeless body in her arms, Khaila had never felt such a deep emptiness, and she began to sob.
But today was different. Today was going to set the Siren race back decades of progress, and Khaila was helpless to stop it.
On any other day, she loved to walk the beach barefoot, letting the sand squish between her toes with each step. She wanted nothing more than to enjoy that feeling, but she couldn’t anymore. All around her formerly serene beach were the spoils of war. Dozens of Siren had died this day, and Khaila could see the ship that had carried the sea-farers here was pulling away from the beach, leaving the bodies of their dead here on the shore.
“Wait…come back! Let’s …discuss…” But there was nothing to discuss. Wrong had been done on both sides, but the Humans would be the ones to tell the tale, they were the victors, and they would surely paint the Siren in such a bad light that no one would ever see them as anything but hostile. She’d spoken up on numerous accounts in defense of Sirens, but had also brokered peaceful conversations and treaties between groups of other races, sometimes not even involving Siren, simply because she wanted to see that not all Siren could be painted with one brush in a single stroke. They were as plentiful and diverse in mind and heart as anyone, if not more so.
She took a few steps, careful not to set her foot in the blood-stained sand of both her friends and their assailants. Her mind ran the gamut of emotion from fury to desperation, from confusion to depression, from hopeful to melancholy. The battle fought here would be known for years and years to come.
“Sister? Khaila, is that you? By Poseidon’s grace, you’re alive!” A voice called out from behind her, stepping out from one of the small dilapidated bamboo huts nearby. Khaila looked up, and her eyes widened at the site. Standing a few yards away was Agaithe, Era Lanai Losa, her fellow Siren and trusted friend. Khaila ran to her, no longer carrying about soiling her feet in blood, so overcome with emotion was she.
“Agaithe! Oh, Agaithe, you’re alive, of all those I care for, if you’d been hurt, I’d have…” As Khaila approached the last steps of her sprint to Agathe, Agaithe stepped fully into the fading sunlight, holding her torso. Her hands and arms were bloodied, and she was unsteady in her walk.
“I wanted to see you again, I needed to see you again, Khaila. I believe that is why the gods have not taken me, so that someone could tell you. And I…” Agaithe stumbled and fell, whimpering in pain from her wound. Khaila dove to catch her, but only managed to soften the fall, and both Siren lay in a small heap near the bamboo hut. Khaila gently set her friend against a wall.
“What happened, Agaithe? Tell me, why caused this battle?” Khaila took her friend’s hand into her own and saw the exposed wound. A large chunk of her skin had been split just above her hip, and she was bleeding profusely. Khaila began to breathe more heavily.
“It was a mistake! When you left, those sea-farers, they came here, and there was an altercation. They thought that maybe you had lured them here. They thought that maybe there was a hydra waiting here, or that maybe something was…” Agaithe began to sob as she spoke, her sentences losing structure.
“Shh, shh. Agaithe, I will find out the reason for this bloodshed. I will avenge our sisters and rectify these mistakes, and restore peace for our people.”
“There is no peace, there cannot be. Why do they find reasons to hunt us down? Why can’t they see that we are not the same as our ancestors, Poseidon has cleansed and forgiven us, why cannot the humans do the same?”
“They will, you have seen that they will, but change does not happen instantly. I have worked at this for dozens of years, since Poseidon placed me on Crete, and I have seen that it can happen, sister. Trust, and believe that Siren will be seen differently one day, I know it! And we will look back on this day and know that our sisters and brothers lost lives were the catalyst needed to empower us going forward, to rectify this hatred that we’ve fought against all these years. Sister, it will happen, just as it happened with the Kobaloi, we can have hope that we…Agaithe?” Agaithe was silent, and Khaila pulled her closer, cradling her.
“Agaithe, no! Please not you, please do not take her, Poseidon, I need her, I need my sister!” Khaila stared into her friend’s eyes, and found no life in them.
“AGAITHE! No! No, please do not leave me here, Agaithe, you are who I look to for support, you are the one I think about when I speak to our people, you are the one who I seek the approval of, maybe even before Poseidon himself…you can’t…” Her tears began to roll gently down her cheeks, trickling down to her chin and dripping onto Agaithe’s face. She whimpered again, as her friend’s body fell limp, and she knew that Agaithe was on her way to the River Styx.
Looking out at the Sea of Crete, Khaila could see the sun setting, and the sea vessel containing the remaining humans from the battle disappearing into the horizon. Her emotions flared again, and she was consumed by them. With her friend’s lifeless body in her arms, Khaila had never felt such a deep emptiness, and she began to sob.